Everybody's talking about Top Gun now. Initially a 1980s franchise, the recent reboot has brought this classic movie to a new generation!

Here are some facts about Top Gun: Maverick: a classic in its new incarnation.

The Pandemic Slowed The Film’s Distribution

Media reports show that it was hard to get Top Gun: Maverick underway due to COVID restrictions. The pandemic stalled a lot of movies and television programming, with social distancing requirements for actors and other people on set. Financial planning also changed – we saw show business disrupted in so many different ways, and this new redux was not immune from these kinds of pressures.

The New Film Had an Overall Cost of $150 million

That's about 10 times what it cost to make the first Top Gun movie several decades ago. It also led to more challenges in recouping the cost for producers. Some people compare the cost of Top Gun: Maverick to some of the Mission Impossible films: costly blockbusters in their own right.

There were particular cost factors in play, too: for example, the F-18 jets used in the film cost $11,000 per hour to use. That’s a big per-hour charge, especially compared to what even celebrity actors make. Check out this info from the Pricer for more on the value of this type of military craft.

Tom Cruise Is an Actual Pilot

Scour the web, and you'll see footage of Tom Cruise manning his own classic planes, including World War II-era light aircraft. He even landed his own helicopter in a press stunt for the film. This brings an air of authenticity to the franchise in a way that fans love.

Producers Researched the Reality of G-Forces

Of course, you have considerable centrifugal force with this type of high flying.

People didn't just wing it when it came to the script – producers were focused on re-creating the human body's response to G-forces well. You can find out more in media press kits and other resources about how this was pursued with this film.

Check out our series of Top Gun: Maverick toys, as well as various World War II-era planes – the Mustang, the Messerschmitt, transport planes, etc. Aviators love our build kits because of their realism and attention to aircraft history!

That's not all we have, either. Read the rest of the blog for more on how Cobi is a new kind of toy for a new era of at-home entertainment and hobbyist interest! For example, we wrote about the Titanic set and some of the history that applies there. We also have some other interesting blog posts about the history of military toys. 

So check it out and be sure to ask any questions about shipping or anything else we offer with these modern model kits.